Freshman Karen Beglin tees off for the Senator golf team Wednesday at Arrowcreek in Reno.
RENO – Thunder and lightning ended Wednesday’s Sierra League Invitational early, but not before Carson High freshman Karen Beglin showed off her top-flight game for the second consecutive week.
Despite the less-than-ideal conditions, Beglin carded a 1-over-par 37 on the Legends course at the Club at Arrowcreek to take medalist honors again.
Most of the girls got anywhere from 11 to 13 holes in before leaving the course. Officials used just nine-hole scores to determine team and individual placing.
Beglin and her older sister, Jill, who shot 48, led Carson to a second-place finish (220), 15 strokes behind powerhouse Bishop Manogue. Damonte Ranch was third at 241 and Galena was next at 265. Douglas and Wooster fielded incomplete teams.
Kassidy Cooley finished with a 63 and Gaby Montes added a 65 to complete the Carson scorers. The elder Beglin was under the weather this week.
Karen Beglin knocked off Wooster’s Lilly Landt by two shots and Manogue’s Kallie Grady shot 42. Only six of the 26 golfers in the field broke 50 on the 2,504 back nine layout.
“I was pretty happy with how I played,” Karen Beglin said. “I thought I was going to do bad after the rough start, but it turned out OK.”
She hit her first shot of the day in a hazard but still managed a par , one of six on the day.
In fact, she parred her first three holes before missing the green with her approach and bogeying the par-4 13th.
She bounced back nicely with a 50-foot birdie putt on the 437-yard par-5 14th and parred Nos. 15 and 16. She missed the green on the short par-4 17th before registering a par on the par-4 18th.
“I hit a pitching wedge on No. 14,” said the Carson standout. “I did leave shots on the course, especially on those two holes (13 and 17). Not as good as I would have liked.
“I only hit driver once today. I usually practice playing longer holes because that’s how the junior tournaments are set up. We usually play 6,000 yards.”
Jill Beglin got off to a rough start, recording a double-bogey at No. 10 and triples on the par-3 12th and the par-5 14th.
That, unfortunately set the tone for her day. She started to play better after the turn, registering four pars and a double-bogey on her first five holes before play was halted.
“Karen is playing a lot better than I thought,” Carson coach Wade Greenlee said. “Jill has been sick the last couple of days. She had too many 3-putts today.”
The second-place finish, according to Greenlee, is key. Only three teams make regionals instead of four.
The rule change allows for one additional player not on an advancing team to make regionals.
SIERRA CUP POINTS RACE
Karen Beglin (Carson) 72
Lily Landt (Wooster) 69.5
Jessica Stanton (Wooster) 66
Jill Beglin (Carson) 65.5
Kallie Grady (BM) 64.5
Amelia Gladys (BM) 64
Aspen Smokey (DHS) 59
Kasey Reynolds (BM) 58.5
Jordyn Jensen (BM) 50.5
Espe Harmer (GAL) 50
